TexasNPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94NPR Digital Services RSS Generator 0.94TexasThu, 24 Nov 2016 22:24:46 +0000Texashttp://hppr.org
Angie HaflichAccording to a national study, Texans are among the worst drivers in America. Using information gathered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Car Insurance Comparison published a list of America’s worst drivers by state and Texas tied with Louisiana for the largest number of fatal car crashes and their causes. According to the Star-Telegram, Texas ranked in the bottom 14 in five categories – fatalities rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, failure to obey things like traffic signals and seatbelt laws, drunk driving, speeding, and careless driving. According to USA Today, South Carolina, North Dakota, Delaware, New Mexico, Nevada, Alabama, Arizona and Montana round out the list. The findings come on the heels of a request by the Texas Department of Transportation to end a deadly 16-year streak of at least one fatality per day on Texas roadways, the Star-Telegram reports “Every day for the past 16 years, somebody has lost a spouse, child, friend or neighbor onTexas ranks in the top 10 for worst drivershttp://hppr.org/post/texas-ranks-top-10-worst-drivers
69563 as http://hppr.orgThu, 24 Nov 2016 10:01:00 +0000Texas ranks in the top 10 for worst driversJonathan Baker For some reason, Texas always seems to spring to mind when people are thinking of destruction on a huge scale. Take the 1998 movie Armageddon, for example, in which Planet Earth is threatened by an asteroid “the size of Texas.” The fact is, sometimes it’s not great to be intimately linked with bigness. Last week, Russia unveiled a brand new ballistic missile. The country proudly announced that the warhead is big enough “to wipe out Texas.” This prompted Texas Monthly to ask, “Why is our state always used to measure destructive scale?” The editorial went on to ask why the Russians can’t threaten to destroy “similarly large land masses, like California, Montana, the country of Mauritania, or 29 New Hampshires?” In this case, Russia may still be smarting after being rebuffed last month when it asked to send its diplomats to US polling stations. For Texas, Sometimes Bigness Can Be a Cursehttp://hppr.org/post/texas-sometimes-bigness-can-be-curse
68561 as http://hppr.orgWed, 02 Nov 2016 12:46:00 +0000For Texas, Sometimes Bigness Can Be a CurseJonathan Baker We hear a lot of stories about how Texas shapes the wider world. From oil policy to cowboy lore, the Lone Star State has an outsized impact on planet earth. But last week The New York Times published an editorial on how the shape of Texas shapes the conversation about Texas. It’s carved onto the sides of highway overpasses and on T-shirts and in magazine ads. You can eat waffles shaped like Texas and dive into Texas-shaped pools. Bud Kennedy of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram explains: “The shape’s not perfect,” he says. “But it’s not some boring box shape. It’s a great brand, and not just on cattle.” Manny Fernandez of the Times writes that Texas is so big that it needs one easy symbol. “And,” he adds, “a ‘T’ or a cowboy boot or a chicken-fried steak didn’t quite sum it up.” . . . “[The shape] somehow encapsulates, with a few right angles and big bends, a state of 27 million people.” How the Shape of Texas Shapes Our Idea of Texashttp://hppr.org/post/how-shape-texas-shapes-our-idea-texas
67537 as http://hppr.orgTue, 04 Oct 2016 09:48:00 +0000How the Shape of Texas Shapes Our Idea of TexasJonathan Baker Texas has stopped helping poor families pay their electric bills, reports The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Over the past years the Lone Star State ran a program called Lite-Up Texas. The initiative offered discounts to thousands of poor Texas families who were struggling to keep the lights on. But now the Public Utility Commission says the program has run out of money. The financial help ended on Aug. 31. The proverbial well has finally run dry after lawmakers axed the program's funding three years ago. Advocates are worried that low-income families will be blindsided when their assistance vanishes. Lynda Ender, a program director at Senior Source, a nonprofit that provides services to elderly folks in Dallas, said she’s expecting a flood of calls. She added, “[These people] don’t have the luxury of planning ahead.” The program was instituted in 1999. Since then, it has doled out hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance. Texas Has Stopped Helping Poor Families Pay Their Electric Billshttp://hppr.org/post/texas-has-stopped-helping-poor-families-pay-their-electric-bills
66498 as http://hppr.orgTue, 06 Sep 2016 14:28:00 +0000Texas Has Stopped Helping Poor Families Pay Their Electric BillsJonathan Baker The US Supreme Court remains evenly divided with four conservative and four liberal justices. This provides Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton with a legal method of getting his way relatively consistently. Critics have charged Paxton with a legal maneuver called forum shopping, reports The Huffington Post. Forum shopping means searching for an understaffed court with a judge who will likely be sympathetic to your cause. For example, Paxton has bypassed other courts to take several recent high-profile cases to the courtroom of U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor. When O’Connor rules in Paxton’s favor, appeals then head to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit—perhaps the most conservative federal court in the country. When the Fifth Circuit upholds the lower court’s ruling, the case is then sent to the Supreme Court. The currently divided court will then cause the lower court’s ruling to stand, and Paxton and Texas thus emerge triumphant. Texas Attorney General Finds a Winning Method for Challenging Federal Mandateshttp://hppr.org/post/texas-attorney-general-finds-winning-method-challenging-federal-mandates
66214 as http://hppr.orgWed, 31 Aug 2016 01:18:00 +0000Texas Attorney General Finds a Winning Method for Challenging Federal MandatesJonathan Baker Texas athletes fared remarkably well during the first week of the Olympics, reports Texas Monthly. During the first seven days in Rio, Texans took home thirteen medals, eight of which were golds. As a matter of fact, a full one third of the United States’ medal count has been won by Texan athletes. Simone Biles of Spring, Texas, has been garnering world attention for her miraculous gymnastic feats. She’s taken home two golds already, and is expected to win three more. And Texan swimmer Simone Manuel became the first African-American woman to win an individual swimming event. Meanwhile, University of Texas swimmers Jack Conger, Townley Haas, and Clark Smith helped the men’s freestyle relay team win gold. If Texas were its own country, the state would have scored more medals in the first week than Spain, Brazil, Belgium, Greece, and Argentina combined. Texas Is Killing It at the Olympicshttp://hppr.org/post/texas-killing-it-olympics
65648 as http://hppr.orgTue, 16 Aug 2016 10:05:00 +0000Texas Is Killing It at the OlympicsJonathan Baker Texas officials have asked all state agencies to scale back their costs by four percent, in an effort to curb spending. The cuts will affect agency budgets for the 2018-2019 fiscal year, reports The Texas Tribune. The request was announced in a letter from Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus. In the letter, the three elected officials said Texas’s economic success depends on “limited government, pro-growth economic policies and sound financial planning.” However, the lawmakers did mention some state priorities that would be exempt from the four percent cuts. These include public school funding, border security, Child Protective Services and mental health resources. Next in this budgetary process: State agencies will send their requests to the Legislative Budget Board, which will review the proposals ahead of the 2017 session. Texas Leaders Ask State Agencies to Cut Budgets by Four Percenthttp://hppr.org/post/texas-leaders-ask-state-agencies-cut-budgets-four-percent
63771 as http://hppr.orgWed, 06 Jul 2016 10:31:00 +0000Texas Leaders Ask State Agencies to Cut Budgets by Four PercentJonathan BakerLast year Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush fired the people in charge of running the Alamo, one of Texas’s most hallowed tourist destinations. The group, known as the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, had managed the monument for more than a century. As reported in The Texas Tribune, the move ignited a long feud over a library collection held on the grounds of the state-owned monument in San Antonio. Now, the state and the former Alamo managers have reached a settlement. The Texas General Land Office at last agreed it does not own the contents of the collection. As a result, Bush's office said it would relinquish the collection and reimburse the DRT for $200,000 in legal expenses. The Daughters of the Republic of Texas had accused Bush and the state of attempting an "unconstitutional taking" of private property. DRT lawyer Lamont Jefferson cheered the settlement. George P. Bush and Daughters of the Texas Revolution Reach a Settlementhttp://hppr.org/post/george-p-bush-and-daughters-texas-revolution-reach-settlement
63327 as http://hppr.orgTue, 28 Jun 2016 10:07:00 +0000George P. Bush and Daughters of the Texas Revolution Reach a SettlementJonathan Baker The Texas Governor’s office seems to have a problem appointing replacements to state boards and commissions in a timely manner. According to The Texas Tribune, the state now has 336 holdover appointees. Those are people whose terms have expired but whose replacements have not been named. Some have been waiting for a replacement to be announced for five years. And it gets worse: The terms of another 20 gubernatorial appointees will expire between now and September. And these numbers don’t include people appointed by the lieutenant governor and the speaker. Gov. Greg Abbott is still working his way out of a backlog; he’s made hundreds of appointments since he took office early last year. Sometimes the holdovers cause controversy. Empower Texans, a conservative advocacy group, recently called on Abbott and other state leaders to replace the four commissioners at the Texas Ethics Commission. In Texas, Gubernatorial Appointees Await Replacements--Sometimes for Yearshttp://hppr.org/post/texas-gubernatorial-appointees-await-replacements-sometimes-years
62555 as http://hppr.orgWed, 08 Jun 2016 11:49:00 +0000In Texas, Gubernatorial Appointees Await Replacements--Sometimes for YearsJonathan Baker Recent efforts to prevent suicide in Texas are focusing on the state’s small towns, reports The Texas Tribune. The Tribune recently analyzed Texas death records from 2004 to 2013. The paper found that the rate of suicide is 15 percent higher in counties with an urban population of less than 20,000 people than it is in more metropolitan counties. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the suicide rate nationwide has increased by 24 percent since 1999. The rate has grown more slowly in the Lone Star State, but is still a matter for public health concern. During this century, rural suicide rates have far outpaced urban ones, in Texas and the nation at large. The problem is most severe among youth. Rural adolescents commit suicide at roughly twice the rate of urban youths. One thing that has hindered research efforts is that Texas doesn’t keep track of suicide attempts. Rural Suicide a Concern in Texashttp://hppr.org/post/rural-suicide-concern-texas
62312 as http://hppr.orgWed, 01 Jun 2016 11:19:00 +0000Rural Suicide a Concern in TexasJonathan Baker Health advocates cheered this week when Oklahoma officials announced they were considering expanding Medicaid in that state. Oklahoma has been missing out on millions of federal health care dollars with its decision to not participate in the Affordable Care Act. But with ballooning budget problems and rising health care costs in the state, opting out no longer seems viable. And that means Texas could be next, reports member station KUT. During a meeting at the Capitol in Austin yesterday, advocates said now’s the time for Texas officials to revisit the issue. Texas is lucky to not be in the same situation as Oklahoma. Texas got a special deal from the federal government that prevented health costs from rising as much. But the deal is temporary, and advocates told lawmakers last week that Texas needs to start thinking about expanding Medicaid, too. But without the same economic squeeze as Oklahoma, it could be a tough sell. Oklahoma Looks to Adopt Obamacare. Is Texas Next?http://hppr.org/post/oklahoma-looks-adopt-obamacare-texas-next
61957 as http://hppr.orgTue, 24 May 2016 11:27:00 +0000Oklahoma Looks to Adopt Obamacare. Is Texas Next?Jonathan Baker Last weekend The Dallas Morning News reprinted in full a New York Times article about what it means to be a Texan in the 21st century. The essay read, in part, “[Texans] believe that their way of life is under assault and that they are making a kind of last stand by simply being Texan.” But the author, Manny Fernandez of Dallas, pushed back against the idea that Texas is under attack. He says the state is merely changing as America changes. He notes that minorities have become the majority in the Lone Star State, and that rural Texas is shrinking while urban and suburban Texas expands. Fernandez explained to Times readers that “as Americans become more transient, Texas resists. It declares, to itself and the nation: Place matters.” “America,” he adds, “needs a superstate, or to put it another way, an antistate.” And for Fernandez, Texas is filling that role. Whether he’s right is for the reader to decide. What Makes a Texan a Texan?http://hppr.org/post/what-makes-texan-texan
61491 as http://hppr.orgTue, 10 May 2016 14:52:00 +0000What Makes a Texan a Texan?Jonathan BakerAmericans are moving to Texas from other states in droves, reports The Texas Tribune. From 2005 to 2013, almost six million people moved to Texas, and five million of those came from one of the other 49 states. That means Texas grew by an average of 345 people per day during that period—and the influx hasn’t abated. The highest number of new arrivals are coming from California—over 62,000 in 2013 alone. Far behind, in second, is Florida with 33,000. Illinois, Oklahoma, and Louisiana round out the top five. The California trend is borne out with foreign immigrants, as well. More foreign-born people come to Texas after having first lived in California than any other state. But foreign-born immigrants make up a small portion of the total. Only one in five newcomers to the Lone Star State was born outside the US. Americans Pour Into Texas From Other Stateshttp://hppr.org/post/americans-pour-texas-other-states
60814 as http://hppr.orgMon, 25 Apr 2016 09:02:00 +0000Americans Pour Into Texas From Other StatesJonathan BakerThe once-fringe Texas secession movement is gaining ground, and has become a priority for some conservative grass-roots Texans. A new Washington Post article reports that when Texas Republicans assemble for their state convention next month, it’s possible they’ll debate whether to secede. The Post makes clear that there’s little chance secession will actually happen. Even so, at least ten Texas counties have passed some form of independence resolution. That’s far more than the one county that passed such a resolution four years ago. It seems the secession movement is growing, or at least organizing, and may have become too big for party officials to ignore. It’s possible there’ll be some kind of vote on the floor of the convention, further legitimizing the idea. If it comes to that, party leaders will probably try to dispense with the vote as quickly as possible. Still, the secession movement doesn’t appear to be going away. Texas's Secession Movement Is Growinghttp://hppr.org/post/texass-secession-movement-growing-0
60781 as http://hppr.orgFri, 22 Apr 2016 11:48:00 +0000Texas's Secession Movement Is GrowingJonathan Baker After months of scrutiny and controversy, the foster care system in Texas appears to be worsening instead of improving, according to The Texas Tribune. Abused children are being left in psychiatric facilities far past the eight to 10 days covered by Medicaid. In fact, that’s an understatement: As of August, children were being held for an average of 768 days. Compassionate considerations aside, these hospitalizations are a huge drain on the Lone Star State’s economy; it costs $650 a day for a single child's room and board. Children as young as two years have been hospitalized for mental illness and have waited long periods to be adopted. The agency recently tightened its foster care restrictions, which would otherwise allow certain children to stay with extended-family members. Since the enation of the new restrictions, The Tribune has discovered that some abused children have even been sleeping in the offices of CPS employees. Much of the trouble stems from Texas’s refusal to complyDespite Federal Efforts, Texas Foster Care System Is Worseninghttp://hppr.org/post/despite-federal-efforts-texas-foster-care-system-worsening
60436 as http://hppr.orgTue, 12 Apr 2016 20:55:03 +0000Despite Federal Efforts, Texas Foster Care System Is WorseningJonathan BakerLate last year a federal judge ordered the State of Texas to reform its foster care laws. U.S. District Judge Janis Jack of Corpus Christi claimed the Texas foster care system violated children's civil rights by subjecting them to rampant neglect and abuse. Judge Jack appointed special “masters” to oversee the reforms, reports The Texas Tribune. The masters are expected to study the system and recommend changes. These changes might include hiring more caseworkers and increasing oversight of foster group homes. After the ruling, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton decided to fight back. He filed a request to stop the appointment of the "special masters." When Texas tried to appoint its own masters to oversee the efforts, Judge Jack rejected the candidates. And now the federal court has rejected the appeals from the State of Texas, which were intended to slow the reforms. The lead attorney for the foster children called it “a tremendous day for thousands of children in Texas.” Federal Court Rejects Texas Attempts to Fight Foster Care Reformhttp://hppr.org/post/federal-court-rejects-texas-attempts-fight-foster-care-reform
59596 as http://hppr.orgThu, 24 Mar 2016 14:02:00 +0000Federal Court Rejects Texas Attempts to Fight Foster Care ReformJonathan BakerIn 2015, the first full year after Texas enacted tough new regulations on abortion clinics, there were 9,000 fewer abortions performed in the state, reports The Christian Science Monitor. The Supreme Court has called the tightening of abortion access in Texas a “controlled experiment” for the enacting of similar laws in other states. But the drop in abortions isn’t unique to the Lone Star State. There has been a notable decrease in abortions around the US. Even states with open access to abortion are seeing declines. Even so, while the abortion rate across the US has decreased by 12 percent since 2010, abortions dropped by 30 percent in Texas in that same period. Louisiana is one of only two states to see a rise in abortions since 2010. The increase is due largely to a spike in out-of-state patients from neighboring Texas. Abortion Rates Are Declining Nationwide--but in Texas, They're Plummetinghttp://hppr.org/post/abortion-rates-are-declining-nationwide-texas-theyre-plummeting
59415 as http://hppr.orgTue, 22 Mar 2016 14:24:00 +0000Abortion Rates Are Declining Nationwide--but in Texas, They're PlummetingSkip Mancini Bluebonnets don’t bloom very long, but when they do they are the highlight of a trip to Texas. We’ll look at ways to try and ‘grow your own’, giving them lots of sun and not much water. But the best way to experience bluebonnets is to travel down to Central Texas in March and April and take in the native wildflowers as they carpet the roadways. Texas Bluebonnetshttp://hppr.org/post/texas-bluebonnets
59180 as http://hppr.orgTue, 15 Mar 2016 20:30:00 +0000Texas BluebonnetsJonathan Baker The website onlyinyourstate.com recently published a list of fascinating Texas facts that you probably didn’t learn in school. For example, did you know the Ferris wheel at the Texas State Fair in Dallas is the largest in the Western hemisphere? Or that El Paso is closer to the city of Needles, California, than it is to Dallas, Texas? How about that the last battle of the Civil War was fought in Texas? Another interesting fact: Texas is so big, it uses its own power grid instead of tapping into the two grids that power the east and west sides of the country. Or this: In 1968, a time capsule containing a passbook to a bank account containing $10 was buried in Amarillo. It’s expected to reach $1 quadrillion in value by the time it’s opened in 2968. And, perhaps the most important fact of all: It’s illegal to let a camel loose on the beach in Galveston. Some Facts You May Not Know About Texashttp://hppr.org/post/some-facts-you-may-not-know-about-texas
59191 as http://hppr.orgTue, 15 Mar 2016 04:35:18 +0000Some Facts You May Not Know About TexasJonathan BakerNo one questions that the number of abortion facilities in Texas has dropped in recent years. In 2013 the Texas legislature passed a law that, among other things, required abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. The law led to the number of clinics in the Lone Star State being reduced by half. Challengers to the law contend that the law is unnecessary and draconian. But a recent Wall Street Journal editorial asked, what if these clinic closures also have to do with changes in the demand for abortion itself? Three decades ago, the annual number of abortions began a steady decline. Today the abortion rate has dropped back close to its level in 1973. Other factors in the clinic closures could include the building of new Planned Parenthood “mega-clinics” and the fact that more women are insured today than previously, obviating the need for free clinics. Even so, the fact that so many clinics closed immediately after the passage of the Texas legislation seems toAbortions Continue to Decline in Texas, and Nationwidehttp://hppr.org/post/abortions-continue-decline-texas-and-nationwide
58986 as http://hppr.orgThu, 10 Mar 2016 12:40:00 +0000Abortions Continue to Decline in Texas, and Nationwide